Hoisting and conveying apparatus



(No Model.)

T. S. MILLER. HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS. No. 551,506.

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PATENT EEicE.

THOMAS SPENCER MILLER, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEYV JERSEY.

HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,506, dated December 17, 1895.

Application filed May 26, 1894. Serial No. 512,582. (No model.)

To zZ-Z whom, zit may concern.:

Beit known that I, THOMAS SPENCER MIL- LER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of South Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain newT and useful Improvements in Iloisting and Conveying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

One part of my invention relates to a contrivance for dumping the load oli' the tray or bucket.

Another part of my invent-ion relates to the support of the rope by which the dump is effected, which I will refer to as the dumprope. l

Another part of my invention relates to the portability of the apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown, in Figure l, an elevation of the apparatus as used for loading cars with material removed from an excavation. Fig. L is a detail, and Fig. 3 a modification.

A is the excavation.

B is the train of cars.

G is the engine.

I) is the near tower.

E is the far tower.

I? is the cable extending between the towers.

G is the load-carriage.

H is the load-tray.

I is the fall-rope.

J is the traveler-rope.

The load-carriage is run back and forth on the cable by the endless traveler-rope J, actuated by the rope-drum j. The fall-rope is actuated by the drum i and raises and lowers the fall-block i".

The tower D and the engine C are mounted lipon a platform d carried upon the trucks d di2 d3 adapted to run upon rails parallel with the excavation. The tower E is mounted upon a plat-form ecarried by the trucks e', e2 and e3 running upon rails parallel with the excavation. The fall-rope carriers 7c are constructed and operated similar to my Patent No. 521,035, dated .lune 5, 1894.

The tray or bucket Il is permanently supported from the fall-block by the chains h and r". Opposite the delivery side the chain 7L', depending from a separate fall-block h2, is secured to the tray. The fall-block h2 is adapted to be raised and lowered by the dump-rope L.

, So long as in lowering the load the fall-blocks i and h2 are lowered in unison, the load will not be dumped; but as soon as the lowering of the fall-block t" is continued, while the fallbloclc h2 is stayed, the load will be dumped, as shown in the drawings, Fig. l.. It is therefore necessary to so control the dump-rope L that it will pay out or haul in in concert with the fall-rope I or will, when required, be iixed. This is accomplished by suspending the dump-rope L upon the sheave Z of the carriage G and the sheave Z of the tower E, and thence extending the dump-rope L to the drum or reel Z3, upon the periphery oi which it is xed. The shaft upon which the reel Z3 is fixed suspends a weight Z4 in such a position as to tend to reel in upon the dump-rope L. M is a brake-shoe applied to the periphery of the reel Z3 and mounted upon a brakelever m, which is connected to the rope fm' with the hand-lever m2. The weight Z4 is heavy enough to reel in the dump-rope L when the fall-rope I is reeled in. The weight Z4, however, is light enough so as not to prevent the descent of the empty tray or bucket II when the fall-rope I is paid out. It is evident now that when the bucket II is being lowered by the fall-rope I the dump-rope L will pay out in antagonism to the weight Zt until the dumping-point is reached. Then by applying the brake M the further descent of the fall-block h2 may be stayed so as to dump the load, or the load may be dumped under other conditions. Thus suppose the carriage to be traveling toward the tower D, supporting the load at a uniform height by the operation in unison of the traveler-rope .I and the fall-rope I. The dump-rope` L vwill follow the carriage and will be paid out by the reel Z3 in antagonism to the weight Z4 so long as the brake is not applied. If, however, the brake M be applied, so as to stay the rope L, the further forward movement oithe carriage toward the tower D will cause the rope L to hoist the fall-block h2 and dump the load.

In order that the reel Z3 may take up the dump-rope L when the load is being raised the weight of the dump-rope fall-block 7a3 had better be taken off the dump-rope and sustained on the load fall-block. An arrangement which will answer for this purpose is IOO shown in detail in Fig. 2, Where the block h2 is secured upon the free end of the arm 'h3 pivoted to the fall-block c". The arm h3 is provided With a dmvnWardly-eXtending toe h4, which bears'against the side of the block t" and prevents the descent of the arm h3 below the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2, but permits of its being raised into the upwardly-inclined position shown in Fig. l.

A modication' is shown in Fig. 3 where the tray is supported front and rearfroin the fallblock e" by the ,chains 7L and h5, and the chain h from the fall-block 7b2 is also connected with the rear side of the tray H, but Without the arm 713. Other constructions may be employed.

I have discovered that itis desirable to support the dump-rope L along the span at stated distances as it is paid out. For this purpose I provide the dumpfrope carriers n n having rests for the dump-rope L, being supportedin turn bythe cable F. The dump-rope carrier ,n beingr near the tovver E will be supported upon a steeply-inclined portion of the eableF and therefore its oivn gravity may be depend ed upon to cause it to run out from the tower E when permitted to .do so. The extent to which it is permitted to run out onto the cable is limited by the stop n2 mounted upon a stop` rope O extending parallel with the cable F. The dump-rope carrier n being` required to run out onto the portions of the cable which, being near the middle of the span, are more nearly horizontal, .cannot depend upon its own gravityto run it out and therefore is held between a stop n3 on the traveler-rope J and a stop n* on'the dump-rope L. The stop 'n3 urges the dump-rope carrier n to travel away from the tower E and the stop n4 urges it to travel toward the tower E. At the saine time, when the carrier n has been run in to the tower E as far as it will go, it does not ob.- struct the further movement in that direction of the traveler-rope J. Likewise, when the carrier n has been advanced toward or beyond the center of the Span andthe load-*Cerf riage comes to rest, it will not prevent the further travel of the dumprope L in the saine direction for the purpose of lowering the load.

By the construction above described the tray or bucket maybe raised and lowered and caused to travel backward and forward and dumped at any desired point Whether it be in the act of lowering or traveling, and all this can be done Without requiring any attendant either at the bucket or on the load-carriage.

It being sometimes diiiicult to cause the dump to take place with precision Within the Width of an ordinary car, I prefer to provide a hopper P mounted upon a truck p bridging the car. The truck is supported upon Wheels p upon which the hopper maybe shoved. By placing this hopper over the car, as shown iu Fig. l, as much latitude as may be desired may be aorded for the position of the dump.

I claiml. The combination of a cableway or track. a carriage traveling thereon, a drive rope for moving said carriage, means for driving the same, a skip or bucket sustained by said carriage, a dumping rope depending from said carriage and connected to the bucket, the reel Z3 for the dumping rope, the brake M and the Weight Z4, substantially as described.

2. The combination of cableway or track, a carriage traveling thereon, a drive rope for moving said carriage, a fall block c" and a skip .or bucket sustained by said carriage, a dumping rope depending from said carriage. a sheave-block h2 sustained by said dumping` rope and connected with said skip or bucket, means at the end of the Way for controlling said drive rope and said dumping rope to cause the dumping of the skip and an arm h3 pivotally connected with said sheave-block and fall-block' and provided with a stop h* whereby the Weight of the dumping-ropesheave-block is thrown upon said fall-block. Substantially as described.

3. The combination of a cableivay or track, a carriage traveling thereon, a drive rope for moving said carriage, a skip or bucket sustained by said carriage, a dumping rope dcpending from said carriage and connected to the bucket, means at the end ,of the Way for controlling' said drive rope and said dumping rope to cause thedumping of the skip, a series of dump rope carriers as n n and means whereby the same are spaced upon the span. substantially as described.

4i. The combination of a cableivay or track. a carriage traveling thereon, a drive rope for moving said carriage, a skip or bucket sustained by said carriage, a dumping rope depending from said carriage and connected to the bucket, means at the end of the Way for controlling said drive rope and said dumping rope to cause the dumping of the skip, a rope carrier as frz, a stop n3 on said drive rope and a stop n on said dump rope whereby said rope carrier is moved in opposite directions. Y

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